walkability

, Montreal , New York City In urban planning, walkability is the accessibility of amenities within a reasonable walking distance. This concept is based on the idea that urban spaces should serve purposes beyond mere transport corridors designed for maximum vehicle throughput. Instead, the objective should be to create relatively complete, livable spaces that serve a variety of uses, users, and transportation modes, thereby reducing the need for cars for travel. The first of the ten principles of New Urbanism is walkability.

, Montreal , New York City In urban planning, walkability is the accessibility of amenities within a reasonable walking distance. This concept is based on the idea that urban spaces should serve purposes beyond mere transport corridors designed for maximum vehicle throughput. Instead, the objective should be to create relatively complete, livable spaces that serve a variety of uses, users, and transportation modes, thereby reducing the need for cars for travel. The first of the ten principles of New Urbanism is walkability. ==Benefits== ===Health=== Walkability indices have been found to correlate with both lower Body Mass Index (BMI) and high levels of physical activity of local populations. Physical activity can prevent chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, depression, and osteoporosis. Thus for instance, an increase in neighborhood Walk Score has linked with both better Cardio metabolic risk profiles and a decreased risk of heart-attacks. The World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research released a report that new developments should be designed to encourage walking, on the grounds that walking contributes to a reduction of cancer. A further justification for walkability is founded upon evolutionary and philosophical grounds, contending that gait is important to the cerebral development in humans. In addition, walkable neighborhoods have been linked to higher levels of happiness, health, trust, and social connections in comparison with more car-oriented places. In contrast to walkable environments, less walkable environments are associated with higher BMIs and higher rates of obesity. This is particularly true for the more car-dependent environments of US suburban sprawl. Compared to walking and biking, driving as a commuting option is associated with higher levels of obesity. There are well-established links between the design of an urban area (including its walkability and land use policy) and health outcomes for that community. A 2025 study, using the smartphone data of more than two million users, found that individuals who move to more walkable cities substantially increase their physical activity, "For example, moving from a less walkable (25th percentile) city to a more walkable city (75th percentile) increased walking by 1,100 daily steps, on average. These changes hold across different genders, ages and body mass index values, and are sustained over 3 months. The added activity is predominantly composed of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, which is linked to an array of associated health benefits." in Třebíč, Czech Republic ===Socioeconomic=== Walkability has also been found to have many socioeconomic benefits, including accessibility, cost savings both to individuals and to the public, student transport (which can include walking buses), increased efficiency of land use, increased livability, economic benefits from improved public health, and economic development, among others. The benefits of walkability are best guaranteed if the entire system of public corridors is walkable - not limited to certain specialized routes. More sidewalks and increased walkability can promote tourism and increase property value. In recent years, the demand for housing in a walkable urban context has increased. The term "Missing Middle Housing" as coined by Daniel Parolek of Opticos Design, Inc., refers to multi-unit housing types (such as duplexes, fourplexes, bungalow courts, and mansion apartments not bigger than a large house), which are integrated throughout most walkable Pre-1940s neighborhoods, but became much less common after World War II, hence the term "missing". These housing types are often integrated into blocks with primarily single-family homes, to provide diverse housing choices and generate enough density to support transit and locally-serving commercial amenities. Auto-focused street design diminishes walking and needed "eyes on the street" provided by the steady presence of people in an area. Walkability increases social interaction, mixing of populations, the average number of friends and associates where people live, reduced crime (with more people walking and watching over neighborhoods, open space and main streets), increased sense of pride, and increased volunteerism. Socioeconomic factors contribute to willingness to choose walking over driving. Income, age, race, ethnicity, education, household status, and having children in a household all influence walking travel. street in Sukabumi, Indonesia ==Increasing walkability== Many communities have embraced pedestrian mobility as an alternative to older building practices that favor automobiles. This shift includes a belief that dependency on cars is ecologically unsustainable. Automobile-oriented environments engender dangerous conditions for motorists and pedestrians and are generally bereft of aesthetics. A type of zoning called Form-based coding is a tool that some American cities, like Cincinnati, are employing to improve walkability. The COVID-19 pandemic gave birth to proposals for radical change in the organization of the city, in particular in Barcelona with the publication of the Manifesto for the Reorganisation of the city -written by architecture theorist Massimo Paolini- in which the elimination of the car and the consequent pedestrianization of the whole city is one of the critical elements, as well as the proposed inversion of the concept of the sidewalk. There are several ways to make a community more walkable: Buffers: Vegetation buffers as grass areas between the street and the sidewalk also make sidewalks safer and also absorbs the carbon dioxide from automobile emissions and assists with water drainage. Moving obstructions: removing signposts and utility poles, can increase the walkable width of the sidewalk. Quality maintenance and proper sidewalks lighting reduce obstructions, improve safety, and encourage walking. Sidewalk gaps: Sidewalks can be implemented where there are "sidewalk gaps", with priority to areas where walking is encouraged, such as around schools or transit stations. Campaigns such as Atlanta, Georgia's safe transit routes provide safer access to transit stops for pedestrians. There are several aspects to consider when implementing new sidewalks, such as sidewalk width. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that sidewalks be at least five feet in width. Pedestrian zone: New infrastructure and pedestrian zones replace roads for better walkability. Cities undertake pedestrian projects for better traffic flow by closing automobile access and only allowing pedestrians to travel. Projects such as New York's High Line and Chicago's 606 Trail increase walkability by connecting neighborhoods, using landscape architectural elements to create visually aesthetic green space and allowing for physical activity. Towns can also be modified to be pedestrian villages. Curb extensions: Curb extensions decrease the radii of the corners of the curb at intersections, calm traffic, and reduce the distance pedestrians have to cross. On streets with parking, curb extensions allow pedestrians to see oncoming traffic better where they otherwise would be forced to walk into the street to see past parked cars. Striped crosswalks, or zebra crossings, also provide safer crossings because they provide better visibility for both drivers and pedestrians. Improving crosswalk safety also increases walkability. Improving safety: Monitoring and improving safety in neighborhoods can make walking a more attractive option. Safety is the primary concern among children when choosing how to get to and from school. Ensuring safer walking areas by keeping paths well-maintained and well-lit can encourage walkability. Work from home: working from home completely eliminates any travel time associated with work and allows for people to use the time spent commuting, an average of 27.6 minutes in America. An increase in people working from home in recent years after the COVID 19 pandemic not only has cut down on fossil fuels burned, but also has other benefits like improving productivity. Improving destinations: Create a destination within walking distance of every home where people can partake in indoor and outdoor games, sports, dance, food, etc. Although exclusive to children, these destinations sometimes exist in the form of schools. ==Mapping== A newly developing concept is the transit time map (sometimes called a transit shed map), which is a type of isochrone map. These are maps (often online and interactive) that display the areas of a metropolis which can be reached from a given starting point, in a given amount of travel time. Such maps are useful for evaluating how well-connected a given address is to other possible urban destinations, or conversely, how large a territory can quickly get to a given address. The calculation of transit time maps is computationally intensive, and considerable work is being done on more efficient algorithms for quickly producing such maps. To be useful, the production of a transit time map must take into consideration detailed transit schedules, service frequency, time of day, and day of week. Moreover, the recent development of computer vision and street view imagery has provided significant potential to automatically assess spaces for pedestrians from the ground level. ==References== ==Further reading== Dovey, Kim & Pafka, Elek (2019). "What is walkability? The urban DMA", Urban Studies. Leyden, Kevin M. (2003). "Social Capital and the Built Environment: The Importance of Walkable Neighborhoods." American Journal of Public Health. Volume 93: 1546-1551 Speck, Jeff. (2012). Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time. Macmillan. ==External links== levelofservice.com, Walkability tools research and walking level of service calculator. walkscore.com, an online tool that maps walk-scores, a walkability index that is based on a number of measurable variables.

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